Guns and Gangs Update
January 26, 2015
Staff Sgt. Ken Bryden
Background – Gangs In Ottawa
• September 2000 Ottawa Police begin to see evidence of the
re-emergence of gangs and gang activity (post Ace Crew)
• The Ottawa Police Gang Unit was established in late
January 2001
• DART was established in 2007 through PAVIS funding
• Ottawa Gang Strategy – Crime Prevention Ottawa, Youth
Services Bureau, John Howard Society, OPS Youth
Section , Ottawa Community Housing and more
Overview
• Guns and Gangs is a top operational priority for OPS
• Focused on prevention, enforcement, suppression and
proactive policing
• Increase in targeted, street gang-related incidents of shots
fired with common linkages
– Illegal drug trade
– Availability of hand guns
– Increased willingness of street gang members to use them
Gang Presence in Ottawa
• 400-500 gang members or associates
• 15 gangs
• 83 gang members and associates arrested with
hundreds of charges laid (2014)
• 29 street gang members arrested in breach of
conditions (2014)
• 49 incidents of shots fired in 2014 compared to 30 in
2013.
• 18 people injured
Illegal guns in Ottawa
• 50+ crime guns seized by the OPS, more than half
were handguns (2014)
– 60% of crime guns in Ontario are foreign-sourced
and smuggled into Canada – often originating in
the United States
– 20% domestically sourced
– 20% no known origin
OPS Response
•
•
•
•
•
Increased enforcement
Reassignment of resources
Doubled number of investigators in
Guns and Gangs Unit
Patrol, District (NHOs), and Drug
Unit focused on investigating,
charging and keeping close tabs on
known gang associates and prolific
offenders
Compliance checks conducted by
Direct Action Response Team
(DART) to ensure no breach of
conditions
Overall OPS Strategy
• Long-term enforcement and suppression effort
• Active partner in Crime Prevention Ottawa’s Gang
Strategy
• Policing is only part of the solution
– Support and help for individuals and families vulnerable to the
gang lifestyle.
– Exit strategies and community involvement
Ottawa Gang Strategy
• Supporting Ottawa Gang
Strategy to curtail future
gang membership working
with:
– Children’s Aid Society
– Community partners such
as John Howard Society
and You Turn to reach out
to younger siblings and
break the cycle of violence
in families
• Youth Services Bureau
building a Trades Centre
to offer training,
employment possibilities
creating realistic and
sustainable sources of
income
• Information sessions
attended by hundreds of
people and relationship
building exercises
Going Forward…
• Ongoing enforcement and suppression focused on
street gangs
– Projects Calamity and Karma
• Working with the Courts
• Continued participation with Ottawa Gang Strategy
– Conference on February 27, 2015
Gangs, Trauma and Community: Improving Outcomes
• PAVIS funding for DART
Questions?